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Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup 2017

Thanksgiving can be very isolating for vegans and vegetarians, especially when you are a kid in an otherwise-omnivorous family that doesn’t understand your ethical choices. I became a vegetarian at age 9 and a vegan at age 16, and these decisions led to a lot of very depressing (and hungry) Thanksgiving family gatherings.

Now, as an adult with a vegan family and some great vegan friends, Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite holidays. Whether you plan to host an all-vegan feast or just bring an awesome veggie dish to share, you can enjoy a delicious vegan Thanksgiving meal. Here are some of my favorite recipes that I’ve tried over the years:

Just like traditional pecan pie, Namely Marly’s Vegan Pecan Pie is a decadent treat. It’s a bit less sweet than the pecan pie that I grew up with, but definitely just as good. In it, she also links to her great pie crust recipe, but frozen pie crusts have worked just fine for me, too.

I love everything that Isa Chandra Moskowitz makes, but her Green Bean Casserole is easily one of my favorites. This wasn’t a dish that I grew up with, but I sure do love it now. Naturally it’s a bit more time-consuming than dumping a can of condensed soup and frozen green beans (no judgment!) into a casserole dish, but it’s so worth it.

Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips is a neat twist on traditional mashed potatoes, with a bit of added sweetness from the parsnips. I like to leave the potato skins on, and add some Earth Balance to make it extra rich!

I’ve made these Stuffing Muffins the past six years, and they’re always a hit. They get crispy on the outside and stay moist on the inside and…I want some right now. Make sure to add the “optional” Field Roast sausage as well!

I’m usually happy with an assortment of “side” dishes, but if you’re in search of a classic main dish, I recommend trying this Slow Cooker Candied Ham.

I’ve also been working to perfect my own traditional gravy recipe (using my gravy-aficionado spouse as judge) and have come up with quite a good one:

Directions: Whisk together flour and cornstarch in a bowl. Melt Earth Balance over medium heat, and whisk in flour/cornstarch mixture to make a roux. Mix broth, Bragg’s, Worcestershire, nutritional yeast, mushroom powder, and pepper in a separate container. Whisk into roux, and keep whisking and cook until desired thickness is reached.

Renae is the Secretary of Generation Veggie. Originally from Seattle, Renae resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two daughters, three cats, and dog. She is a web developer by trade and has been vegan since 2003. In her rare spare time, she enjoys cooking, eating, singing karaoke, and watching science fiction movies.